Engine



April 18, 1944. GINN 2,347,096

ENGINE riled Oct. 9, 1941 4 Sh eets-Sheet 1 A3 4 I INVENTOR.

v fiorng April 18, 1944. G|NN 2,347,096

ENGINE Filed Oct. 9, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 jfari, G rm April 18,1944. E INN 23 47,096

ENGINE Filed Oct. 9, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 3- April 18, 1944. GlNN 2,347,096

ENGINE Filed on. 9, 1941 4 Sh eets-Sheet 4 1Z:2% W BY Patented Apr. 18, 1944 ENGINE Earl Ginn, North Muskegon, Mich, assignor to Continental Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Virginia Application October 9, 1941, Serial No. 414,271

3 Claims.

My invention relates to internal combustion engines and more particularly to the camshaft and accessory drive for an overhead camshaft engine.

The conventional type of engine with overhead valves is usually provided withrocker arms and push rods, the latter being assembled at the side of the engine, and actuated from a cam shaft supported by the cylinder block to one side of the crankshaft. Similarly, the L-head type of engine embodies valve actuating mechanism to one side of the engine and thus the total width of the engine must be of such a size as to provide space and supports for these mechanisms. Although modern engines are designed to minimize these dimensions as much as possible, it is still found that these type of engines are too bulky for many industrial applications, particularly tractors and other like vehicles.

It is appreciated that if the camshaft were supported in the cylinder head, that considerable saving in engine breadth could be had. Overhead camshaft engines, however, have presented a serious engineering difficulty and have not been entirely satisfactory heretofore, principall because of the dimculty in assemblin and driving the various engines accessories found necessary to be incorporated in the power plant assembly as well as the difficulty in drivin the camshaft.

An object of my present invention is to overcome the difficulties heretofore had with internal combustion engines of the overhead camshaft type by providing an improved camshaft and engine accessory drive.

Other objects of my present invention are to provide a practical overhead camshaft engine of minimum weight and size, which may be economically manufactured and serviced, whose design is practically adaptable for industrial engine application, by providing an engine of the type aforesaid which is constructed and arranged as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, which has advantages as to weight and dimensions, whereby the assembly of the engine with an industrial vehicle such as a tractor or similar vehicle, is facilitated.

For a more detailed understanding of my invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention wherein like characters refer to like parts throughout the several views and in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of m improved engine structure.

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view thereof,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view, partly in section, of the engine,

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is a detailed fragmentary sectional View of a modified accessory drive structure,

Fig. 6 is an end view of a modified construction embodying a chain drive and a modified accessory drive mechanism, and

Fig. 7 is a detail view partly in'section illustrating a governor assembled within the cam gear.

The present engine embodyin my preferred improvements and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, includes in general an engine or cylinder block it, a cylinder head structure II, a cylinder head cover [2, and an oil pan l3. A transmission mechanism I4 is secured to the engine at the rear, and the forward end portion of the engine is constructed to support the transmission mechanism for driving the engine camshaft and associated engine accessories. Preferably the gearing is suitably enclosed at least in part by a housing 15.

More particularly, this housing 15 is secured to the forward end of the cylinder block In and encloses the drivin means, such as the gearing identified as a whole by the reference character A, a drive shaft I6 being operatively connected with said gearing and extending substantially parallel with the engine cylinders, said drive shaft being drivingly connected to the engine crankshaft H and vn'th the overhead camshaft I8 housed and supported within the cylinder head structure I I.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 3 and 4, it will be observed that the drive shaft [6 is supported by a suitable bearings l9 carried b the cylinder head. The drive shaft, if desired, may be extended through the cylinder head and connected to drive other engine accessories such as a timer, or magneto, and an engine speed controllin device. A gear 22 is fixed or otherwise secured to the drive shaft I6 and engages a complementary gear 23 carried by the crankshaft I1, and preferably the drive shaft I6 is driven at crankshaft speed, although the speed of the shaft l6 may, if desired, be stepped up faster than crankshaft speed in order to drive accessories operating at speeds in excess of crankshaft speed and then geared to the camshaft in such a way as to drive said camshaft at the desired speed.

The engine camshaft l8 which is housed within the cylinder head structure I I is operatively connected with the drive shaft it by gearing. A gear 24 is fixed or otherwise secured to the driveshaft l6 and located directly above one of the bearings l9 and is arranged to drive the camshaft gear 25 secured to the camshaft [8. In the present embodiment of my invention I have shown same in connection witha four-stroke cycle engine which necessitates driving the camshaft at one-half crankshaft speed, and thus I have preferably illustrated a camshaft gear 25 of twice the diameter of the driving gear 24.

It Will be observed that the drive shaft preferably extends through gear 24, and has secured thereto an engine speed governing device 38. This governor may be of substantially conventional construction but preferably incorporates a device, which includes balls 3! actuated by centrifugal force against the cam face 32 so that as the engine speed increases, centrifugal forces throw these balls outwardly in the direction as indicated by arrows 33, these balls reacting on the cam face 32 to move the retainer 34 in the direction as indicated by arrow 35, thus rocking the arm 36 engaged by this retainer and moving the arm 3'! which is connected with the throttle valve of the engine in the conventional manner by a link 38.

The drive shaft may be extended and supported within a bearing 46 carried by the cylinder head cover and driving'ly connected with a timer 4|, or same may be drivingly connected with a magneto depending upon which type of ignition means is employed with the engine. Obviously, if desired, the magneto may be drivingly connected by gearing with the driving gear 24 as diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 5.

It will be noted that the housing 15 which houses this drive shaft l6 and the gearing connecting same with the engine crankshaft is secured preferably to the front face of the cylinder block ID. The cylinder head structure ll overhangs the front face of the cylinder block and this overhanging portion Ila, extends sub-stantially flush with the front wall of the housing l5 and. constitutes an extended housing portion which houses the gearing connecting the drive shaft with the camshaft and houses as well as the engine governor 3i! and other gearing for driving other engine accessories.

In Fig. 6, I have substituted a different cam driving means, consisting in a chain 65) drivingly connecting sprockets BI and 62 carried respectively by the crankshaft Fla and camshaft 18a Preferably the camshaft carries: a gear 53 engaging a gear 64 carried by an accessory drive shaft 65.

Referring to Fig. 7 it will be observed that the camshaft l8a is preferably provided with an extension we on which is mounted a governor 30a, which is preferably constructed substantially like governor 30 illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. It will be noted that governor is built substantially in the sprocket 62a carried by the camshaft I8a, and obviously could similarly be mounted or built into the cam gear if so desired. The accessory 4| is preferably driven by means of the beveled gears 63a and 64a and preferably the speed of the accessory 41 is stepped up.

It will be seen that I have provided a very compact engine assembly and have provided an improved construction which may be economically manufactured, as a minimum of parts are required and the engine mass is considerably decreased in size. The accessory drive as well as the camshaft driving mechanism is so constructed as to facilitate economical servicing of the engine. It will also be seen that the width of the engine made practical by my improved end drive is such as to provide a practical assembly of the power plant with an industrial vehicle such as a tractor, and that I have provided an improved practical power plant particularly applicable for industrial applications, and in which access to the engine accessories and valving mechanism is readily had, such accessibility being particularly important for such industrial applications as foresaid.

Although I have illustrated preferred forms of my invention, and have described in detail but a single application thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which my invention pertains, that various modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An overhead camshaft internal combustion engine having a plurality of aligned engine cylinders, an engine block carrying said-engine cylinders, a gear case secured to the end of the engine block, a crankshaft supported by said engine block, a cylinder head structure secured to said engine block and projected beyond one end of the engine block to form a gear housing overcarried respectively by'said cylinder head structure and said cylinder head cover, an engine speed governorsupported in'said gear housing and operatively connected with and axiallyaligned with said drive shaft axis,a camshaft supported in said cylinder head structure and overlying said engine cylinders, said camshaft having an end extension projected into said gear housin and means supported in said gear housing for directly drivingly connecting said drive shaft with said camshaft.

2. An overhead camshaftinternal combustion engine, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the engine speed governor-is carried by said drive shaft.

3. An overhead camshaft internal combustion engine, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the en- :Sgine speed governor is supported on that portion of said drive shaft lying intermediate said camshaft driving means and the drive shaft'bearing carried by said cylinder head cover.

'EA RL GINN. 

